Reconciliation
by Magnus Prime
Summary: A former traveling companion of Hiro's deals with an unresolved...issue.


Reconciliation 

By Magnus Prime 

_This is my very first fanfic submission, so please be gentle._

  
"I'll be back before lunch!" Lucia called, waving, as she headed toward town.

Hiro waved in return. "Okay, be careful!"

As her head disappeared below the rise of the hill, Hiro turned to enter the mountain cabin that he and Lucia had shared since their return from the Blue Star. As he turned, he noticed someone approaching from the other direction, a young woman. Hiro was a little surprised. Women usually didn't travel alone this far into the mountains. The only reason he didn't worry about Lucia's travels to and from town was because she had retained most of her magical abilities.

He took a moment to study the newcomer. Long red hair framed an angelic face before cascading down narrow shoulders to rest on the front of a light-brown vest, while a white blouse stood out in contrast to her red waves. A pair of trousers color-matched to the vest protected her legs from the dust that occasionally kicked up from the road, and a pair of leather shoes completed the ensemble.

Hiro's eyes narrowed slightly. _She looks...familiar, somehow..._ Common courtesy finally pushed him in the newcomer's direction. As he approached her, he raised one hand in the air, fingers and thumb spread, to tell her that he intended no harm. He gave the standard mountaineer greeting. "Hail, stranger!"

She hesitantly returned the gesture as she stopped in front of him and a quiet voice responded. "Hi." She wouldn't look him in the face for some reason.

Not from around here, I guess. He dropped the formalities. "I'm Hiro. Can I help you?"

"I-It's me, Hiro. I'm Ruby."

Hiro's face lit up. "Ruby? I thought you looked familiar. I've never seen your human form before. When did you..." he caught himself as he noticed the expression on Ruby's face. "Is something wrong?"

Still unable to look at Hiro's face, Ruby fidgeted, gnawing on her lower lip while alternating her gaze between her feet and the cabin. "Can we talk? Inside?"

Oh boy. Something's definitely wrong. Ruby was one of the four Legendary Dragons, so he couldn't see her this distressed unless it meant bad news. Very bad news. "Sure. Come on in." He held the door open for her. "Would you like some tea? Water?"

"Tea, please."

After he closed the door behind them, he made his way over to the stove. Lucia had cast a fire spell on it before leaving, just in case he needed to cook something. He filled a kettle with water and placed it on a rack above the open flame. As he opened up a cupboard to get the tea leaves, he realized he hadn't asked her what kind she wanted. He started to turn to ask, "Ruby, do... AH!"

Ruby stood nearly toe-to-toe with him, looking intently at his face. He flushed as he tried to meet her eyes. He saw a paralyzing fear for a moment before she looked at the floor. Then she started gnawing on her lip again.

"Ruby..." Hiro tilted her face back up with a fingertip, and looked into distressed eyes. "Are you in trouble? Is the world in trouble?" She shook her head in response to both questions and finally seemed to gather her courage.

Taking his hands with her own, she gently lowered them from her face to place them on either side of her waist. 

"Uh...Ruby?" Hiro had never seen his best friend act this way before.

One delicate hand rested on his chest, while the other reached up and started tracing the 'war-paint' lines on his face. "You know, I've always wanted to do this..."

Hiro swallowed hard, but he still refused to believe the red flags and warning klaxons. "...Do what?"

The dragon-girl drew her lips into her mouth for a moment, before rising to her tiptoes to press her lips against his.

Warning! Warning! Not Lucia! NOT LUCIA!! Hiro's poor brain froze before it could send the order to his hands to push his 'attacker' away.

After what seemed like a split-second and an eternity at the same time, she broke the kiss and slipped her arms under his to rest her hands on his shoulders and the side of her face against his chest. "I'm sorry, Hiro." She looked back up at his face, the regret evident. "For being so selfish. For thinking of myself and not caring what this'll do to how you look at me. For seeing my feelings as more important than yours or Lucia's..." She lowered her eyes and took a deep breath. "Like I said...I've wanted to do that for a very long time. I should've been more considerate of your feelings" She placed her head against his chest again.

Hiro remained very still for fear that, if he moved, she might try to kiss him again. Something that, with her dragon strength, he would be powerless to stop. "How long?" He chose everything carefully.

Her voice was a murmur. "Doesn't matter. Lucia won you, and she's a lucky woman. Besides, I'd end up losing you anyway, I'd outlive you. I just wanted you to know how I feel."

"But what about N-"

Ruby pulled away from him slightly to look up in his face again. "It's not the same, Hiro. Nall is a friend." She paused in thought. "Maybe someday it will be 'Nall and I', but still, I could never think of him the way I..." She paused before taking his face in her hands. "Hiro, I...I love you. I always will love you, no matter what. And because of that, I want you to be happy." She released his face. "That's why I haven't tried to get between you and Lucia." She chuckled lightly before sniffling. "Well, any more than I already have."

Regret could be seen in Hiro's eyes. "Ruby...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Ruby released his face and started backing toward the door while giving him a sad smile. "I know, Hiro. It's okay, really. You're happy, so I'm happy. Besides, I haven't lost your friendship, that's something, right?"

"Y-yeah, I guess..." was the best Hiro could offer at that point.

She opened the door, took one step out, and paused, looking back at him once more. "See you around." The quiet click of the door latch seemed to thunder throughout the cabin.

_Friendship..._ A small smile grew across Hiro's face as he nodded thoughtfully.

  
  
Lucia found him sitting at the dining table with his elbows propped on it. For some reason, he was staring at his empty palms. She set the groceries on the kitchen counter. "Is everything okay, Hiro?" No answer. "Hiro?"

Hiro looked up at her and a smile slowly spread out on his face. He nodded. "Everything's... great," he said with an awed expression. He suddenly stood up, encircled Lucia in one arm, and traced his fingertips across her face. "When was the last time I told you how beautiful you are?"

Lucia looked up for a moment in thought. "Uhhh...just before I left this morning."

"Too long," Hiro decided, as he pressed his lips to hers.

  
  


_Questions? Comments? Please e-mail me. Thanks for reading!_


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